In 2026, social media is still one of the biggest marketing channels out there. Statista projections show that worldwide social media ad spend is rising at a rate of approximately 13.6 per cent year on year, whilst Social media ads accounted for 32.1 per cent of total digital ad spend in 2025.

Seeing these numbers in text may make allocating more budget to social channels seem more attractive, yet of course, as with all marketing it’s not what you spend, but how to actually utilise the tools available to you.

So, how can you get more out of your investment into social channels? To answer that, we’re turning to Melissa Minkow director of retail strategy at global technology firm CI&T. A leader in marketing and retail strategy, Minkow previously held positions at Target and Gartner as a business and consumer analyst and she is perfectly placed to explain how marketers can utilise social media.

Minkow explains that TikTok is an appealing platform for brands and retailers alike as its algorithm is “democratised”, meaning they have a fair chance at reaching new consumers. Consumers that wouldn’t have necessarily been in their “orbit” before hand.

She adds that the authenticity of the platform is another draw for retailers.

She says: “I think consumers approach TikTok in a different mindset than they do an actual shopping platform or a branded site, they’re there purely for entertainment or for education as well. They’re there for actual content consumption and to enjoy themselves on the platform, which automatically puts brands in a positive space with the consumer.”

She believes that consumers are attracted to TikTok as a search platform because the search experience is “so good”, despite not being a conventional search engine.

She adds: “I think consumers are burnt out in a lot of ways, and they still need to do a lot of research, and I’ve been saying a lot that shopping feels like admin, it feels like a chore lately, but being on TikTok to complete those shopper missions makes it feel less like a chore and more exploratory and more fun, which is nice.”

She explains that TikTok is started to be prioritised by retailers.

She says: “There’s a level of specificity with tagging the products and merchandising the products digitally, so that it will get picked up, or at least can then cross over really easily into other channels, including TikTok.”

However, despite an uptick in usage from firms, retailers still need to invest more in their social strategies and funnel more investment and resources towards TikTok.

Companies also need to figure out what their relationships with consumers look like from a user-generated organic content perspective.

Sher explains that brands rethink how products are labelled and categorised. For example, a dress could be for a wedding but then it could also be worn for Ascot, which isn’t something that brands would have considered. But now you have creators on TikTok saying oh this is suitable for Brides or this is for Bridesmaids or I can wear this on holiday.

She explains that retailers have to be ready to think outside the box because consumers will have a lot of freedom in the content space.

Minkow says: ” You [brands] have to be ready and excited to embrace that, because it’s just more exposure for your products and your brands.”

She highlights that she expects younger generations to be to be more respective to creator content and therefore be more influenced. However, the younger generations are social media literate and therefore could be less likely to be influenced.

She explains that a lot of boomers are struggling with being influenced as they don’t have the same social media literacy.

She says: “I think there can be a level of scrutinization and skepticism with younger generations that might not be there with older generations, but simultaneously they’re going to be consuming more of that content in the first place, so I could see it going both ways.

“The key really in this economy, and this is only going to increasingly be the case, is as a brand or retailer you have to offer a strong product from a quality and a price point perspective, because the market is only becoming more competitive, and consumers are only becoming better researched and better educated.”

“And in our data, consumers are saying that they’re spending more time researching items, and they are better informed than ever before.”

Minkow explains that the fact that consumers are better informed and “critical” of the brands and products that are entering the market which is a good thing as it’s forcing a “higher quality” level from brands and retailers.

Social media can also be beneficial to retailers as it can increase demand for certain products if they go viral. However, it can also be a bit of a Catch-22 as consumers tend to get angry and frustrated if a product is no longer in stock due to higher than anticipated demand.

And, according to Minkow, a “big part” of marketing strategies now is demand forecasting and being responsive.

She says: “If you see people raising issues with the products, immediately have that conversation with the consumer, because again, this is really about accessibility, and with social media, you’re giving so many more people access to critique a product launch.”

She adds that CI&T’s data shows that accurate visuals and product descriptions are important as consumers will be “very upset” if a product looks one way in your advertisements but arrives looking completely different.

She explains: “There needs to be a lot of product description alignment with product that wasn’t necessarily there previously, because social media is supposed to be this kind of raw portrayal or raw marketing material, if you will. So those are the other aspects that are really important from a marketing perspective.”

It’s also important for retailers to remember that impulse purchasing is going away, according to Minkow. Audiences are exposed to brands and retailers repeatedly and while they may think they are impulsively buying something they have probably been shown that brand or product more times than they can recall.

Minkow adds that in order for brands to build successful social media strategies and future proof themselves, they need to be where the consumer is.

She says: “They need to be engaging with both their loyal consumers and the consumers that are not interested in their brand to understand why that might be the case, even if they don’t want to appeal to them.”

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